Channel-bar buffer.



G. A. LYON.

CHANNEL BAR BUFFER.

APPLICATION FILED APR-3,1919.

Patented Dec. 23, 191% 2 SHEETS-SHEET E- G. A. LYON.

CHANNEL BAR BUFFER.

APPLICATION FILED APR-3,1913.

Patented Dec. 23, 191 9.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 GEORGE ALBERT Lyon, or PHILADELFH-IA, PENNSYLVANIA.

specification of Letters Patent.

, CHANNEL-BAR BUFFER.

Patented nee. 1919.

.7 .flsb licati dafild Apri1, 1919. Serial no aamoaf Toallwho'm it mag concern! v I Be it known that I, GEORG ALBERT, LYON, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have made a certain new and useful Invention Relating to Channel-Bar Bufiers, of which the following is a 215,762, fi1ed Februa1-.y 7 ,11918, These supj porting members may comprise attaching. 2o

I against the web of the specification, taken in connection with the drawing, which forms part of the same.

This invention relates especially to automobile bufiers having angular or channeled;

bumper bars and coiiperatin supporting members which may be convenlently-formed of vertically 'rigid spring .steel' strip con-.

nected to the channeled bumper bar in the same general way as described and claimed in my'co pendmg:application, Serial No.

members to be' clamped ,or otherwise con nected to the automobile frame and each sup orting member may have an outwardly curved resilient portion and have a-recurved or otherwise be'nt end to form a connector loop or portion which may be'clamped edgewise to the bumper bar by U-bolt connectors.

For this purpose connector slots may advantageously be formed in the lower flange of the bumper-bar ,andlmay-in some cases be inclined or angularl arranged so that the U-bolt forces or we ges the connector rtion of the supportingb member towar or umper bar to give a more .rigid and'strong attachment. connector U-bolt mayextend through the closed aperture or other slot adjacent the end of the supporting member and the twonuts-engaging the U-bolt preferably beneath [the flange of the bumper bar give double security to this connectlon andminimize to w an important extent the danger of the connection rattling loose at either -"end of the buffer. 7

In the accompanying drawings showing in a somewhat dia ammatic way'illustrative embodimentso this invention, p Figure 1 is a top view'partly'in section showing one form of buffer.

' Fig. 2 1s a perspective view on an enlarged scale showing one of the supporting 'bers' thereof.

. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transversesectioii taken substantially along theline 3-3 of" ig. 4 is anenlargedperspective view The I showing a supporting member and Icon-I nected bufi'erend; and F1gs. 5 and 6 are enlarged perspective views showing bufi'e'r ends and connected supporting members of difl'erent "constructions. r v r L The bumper barofany desired angular or channeled section may as indicated -1 have rearwardly'curved ends and mayvcomprise a web I and flanges '2, 3. f series of connector holes or apertures of any suitable shape-and size may be formed onezof the flanges adjacent each end of the bumper bal and for most purposes these connector-holes 4 @are preferably formed-in thelower ,fiange so that the connector devices. are concealed and protected to agreater extent; .Forfsome purposes it is .ad'vantageousto ,hajve ,-:these connector holes .4 given a somewhat. angular;

form'as shown in greater. detail inl i'g.v 3 so that the cooperating U-bolt 11 or' other con- Inecto'rmay be angularly inserted in' the de- I slred holes and when tightened' its strong engagement with the rear edge 24 of any ,one of these holestendsto force the con-- nectorbolhand connector portions of the cooperating supporting members forward into tlght allnlng engagement with the inside surface 15 ofthe web of the bumper bar.

U-bolt .connectors are. decidedly advantageous in this connection since the U-bolts 11 may as indicated in Fig. 4 have a suflicient width between their parallel shank portions so that some little adjustment of the ends of thesupporting members may be made .without changing the connector bolt in'its holes;

Furthermore by having lock washers 12 and nuts 13 engage both threaded ends of the U-bolt'a stronger connection. is secured and one which-is still fairly effective even if one ofthese 'nuts becomes loosened or diseng hesupportm members: may advantageonsly be forme (if-resilient strip suchas sprmg steel, which "may; be hardened and tempered and may have considerably greater vertical .wi'dth thanlthickness so as to secure Y the desired vertical rigidity while rendering theseisupporting members man times, more yielding "in horizontal 'direct1ons.f-These supporting 'members '14 may comprise the rearwardly extending attaching'portions 5, 6130 be clamped or otherwise se ured to the frame of the automobile or 0t ervvehicle. Each of thesupporting members is prefer ably with an curved resilient portionandwith a looped, curved or bent connector portion for 'coijperation with the bumper bar and the c6iinector bolts or devices used. It is of advantage to have the curved" end portion of these supporting members more or less gradually merge into the outline of the bumper bar flanges which.

. ing members may beformed with a recurved.

alinmg end. 7 as indicated in Figs. 1 130,4 so that an open connector 100 8 is termed between this end and the ad]acent portion of the supporting member so thatthe U'-; bolt or other connector may be accommodated therein. A connector aperture may be v formedin this part or connector portion of" the supporting member preferably beforeit 3 is bent up into' this recurv'edform and" this aperture-may in some caseshe 'advantargeously formed with an enlarged-inserting;

portion 10 as shown in Figs.2 and 4 to facilitate the insertionof the U-bolt connector the relativelygn'arrow 'ortion'of this apei' .ture adjacent the loop en'd of a supporting member so thatf/substantiall tlght or even. wedgirwengagementf may secured between the U-bolt connector and the connecs tor section or portion 9 with which it co- I o crates. The U-bolt connector and end of t e supporting-member. may then be inserted in the channeled end of the bumper bar the efiective width of the rearwardly extendwhich is facilitated by the angular arran'gement of the connector holes 4 therein and then the tightening of the connector nuts 13 draws down the adjacent edges of the supportin member against they lower flange 2 of the umper bar and simultaneously forces its forward alining end 7 a inst-the 1nside face 15 of the web; of the bumper bar so that substantially rigid and secureconnection of the parts is effected. The device may thus be assembled by practicallyany one and by using thepr'oper connector holes {I ing attaching. members vor their distance are to be clamped or secured.

Fig. 5 shows another arrangement in which the curved end of the securing mem ber 14 may be formed with a transversely extending connector portion 19 in which the closed end. connector aperture 18 may be formed, an outturned 'ali'ning end 17 being formed on this supporting member so thatv a substantially flat or alining face or end I 16 isthus provided to be tightly clamped against the inside of the bumper bar web to promote the alinement of the parts The supporting members may, howeveryas shown in Eagle, each be fomi'ed-with anthe end 20' which the connector slot 22 may" I I be fo 'ed to-accommodate the U-lzkiltfQcong,

forcibly clampd'or forced a inst the 'same b the U-bolt 11 which may -c ampthe lower e g? of the connector sectioiiy20 of this 'se'. I g member down a ging;- tkav lower flange of the bumperbar. I T ese automob lefbufi'eis' may 'bd'fgiflec tively packed and shipped in separatedfcom porting members connected ,to 'thefifafito mobile frame before: or after they are bolted to the bumper bar eithe'r'by 'the ordinary garageman or by. an automobile owneg; so

inwhicha esi'rable. degree of resilience iS provided1through; the use ,of; such-'1 spring that a stron and efiective' bufier is. secured strip su' portingmembers'gwhicli'are bolted I 5 in; aline position' wi'th respect-to' tlie ends "of the'channeled orla-ngle iron' :b mnper bar; therein which may he slipped around into This'invntionhas been'describedin com J rangements, materia Pandm tho sot-conlimited, since whatis claimed as ;new.=an'd what is. desired. to be secured by Letters --Patent is set-forth in the appended claims.

1.. The automobile buffer comprising a 'channeled'section bumper bar having a series of connector holes formed'fin its lower flange, a pairof supportinglmembers formed of resilient stri'p' and-Zeac having a rearwardly extending attaching member, a curved resilient intermediate portion and an open loop connector portion formed with an alining' end andwith a connector aperture, a connector -U-'b'olt adapted to pass through eacli of said connector apertures and throughsaid connectorholes, and conand simultaneouslyforce 1: e recurved alin-' ower edges of said supporting members.

.nector nuts coiiperating; with the' lower' ing ends of said'supportin'g'fiiembers against the web of said bumper bar.

2. Theautomob'le bufi'er comprising a channeled section bumper bar having a series of connector holes formed in its lower flange, a pair of supportingxmembers formed of resilient strip and 'eac having a rearwardly extending attaching member, and a connector portion for ed with an alining end, a. connector U-bolt adapted to pass through said connector holes and cofiperate with each ofsaid connector portions, and connector nuts coiiperating with the lower lie 70 flat or suitably, curvedjalining-portlelr 21 T p 4 a imng action -1fi'COnI1e0t10l1'With the bumper bar webwhen 8o dition'and may'beassembled and thfsup- I U6 nection and use, to the details of -which-disclosure the nvention is not of: course to be flan e of said bumper bar to clamp thereto the oweri edges of said supporting members and simultaneously force the almin ends of saidlsupporting members against'tlie web inf-said bumper bar..

tie-The automobile. bufler comprising channeled bumper-bar formed with series of connector'holesin its lower flange adjacent the ends theredfia'pair of resilient support- I ing members each aving a rearwardly extending ttaehingmember and an outwardly intej'mediate' portion and an openended connector loop formed with-a closed end apertureand a U-boLt c0nnec-" 1 6. to pass througheach' one of said rapertures in said supporting memsupporting members each havin a rear-j wardly extending attaching mem or and a -connector p0rt1on formed with a connector aperture and a U-bolt connector adapted to '80 pass *through each one of said connector.

apertures in said s porting members and cooperate with sald umper bar to sechrely clamp an edge of said connector portion against a flange of said bumper bar and con-- 85 nect saidsupporting members to said bumper ba'r. 7

5. The automobile 'bufi'er, comprising a channeled bumper bar provided with a seriesof connector holes angularly formed in and through a pair of said connector' 1,326, 39 a I i B the lower flange ofsaid bumper bar, a pair 4 of resilient supporting members formed of vertically rigid'spring, steel strip and each raving a rearwardly extending attaching member and a connector portion formed withan alining memberaml with a connector aperture. and a connector bolt adapted to. pass through each of said connector aperturesin said supportingmembers and through a pair ofsaid connector holes to securely clamp an edge of said connector portion against the lower flange of said bumper bar and simultaneously force the alimng member against the inner face of the bumper bar web to promote alinement therewith and 'adjustably connect said supporting members- 65 to said bumper bar to enable them to fit automobile. frame memberswhich are at different distances apart.

6; The, automobile. butter comprising a channeled bumperbar provided with eonneotor holes angularly formed inf a flange of said bumper, bar, a pair of supporting members each having a rearwardly extending attaching member and a connector portion formed with analiningmember and with a connector aperture, and a connectorbolt adapted to pass through each of said connec- Y tor apertures in said supporting 1ncinbers and through said connector-holes to securely clamp an edge. of said connector portion agamst-theflange of said bumper bar and simultaneously force the alining member against. the inner face of the bumper bar web to promote aliii'ement therewith and connect said supporting members to said bumper bar;

GEORGE ALBERT LYON. 

